Scotland’s largest maritime decarbonisation project has commenced operations at the Port of Aberdeen, delivering green shore power to vessels at eight berths in North Harbour, according to the company's release.
Shore power enables ships to plug into the port’s renewable energy tariff instead of using fossil‑fuel auxiliary engines while docked, reducing fuel use, CO₂ emissions, pollution and noise.
Port of Aberdeen, a trust port aiming for net‑zero by 2040, has partnered with PowerCon, which installed the infrastructure expected to cut up to 60,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent over the next 20 years—equivalent to removing approximately 2,140 cars annually.
The first ship connected to the system was OSM Thome’s NS Iona, one of five vessels retrofitted under the initiative.
The ‘Shore Power in Operation’ demonstrator is supported by the Department for Transport’s Zero Emissions Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) competition, funded by the UK government via Innovate UK.
The public‑private partnership represents a £4 million combined investment in clean energy infrastructure.
Additional shore power installations are in place for Bibby Marine’s electric Service Operation Vessel at Regent Quay, and infrastructure is nearing completion for Serco NorthLink’s passenger ferries, funded by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited.
The port intends to expand shore power across its full 7,600 m quayside, guided by new research from the University of Manchester’s Tyndall Centre.
Port CEO Bob Sanguinetti described the demonstrator as “the single biggest maritime decarbonisation project in Scotland to date,” noting it delivers an 80 % reduction in carbon emissions at berth and advances the port’s net‑zero goal for 2040.
Port of Aberdeen is a trust port established in 1136, located on Scotland’s northeast coast. It is Scotland’s busiest port by vessel visits and the largest by berthage. The port aims to become the UK’s first net‑zero port by 2040.